University of Tennessee Athletics
LADY VOL HOOPS CENTRAL: JMU
November 09, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2016
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HARRISONBURG, Va. -- No. 13/14 Tennessee will open its season on the road for just the eighth time in school history, as it faces James Madison on Friday at 7 p.m. ET at the JMU Convocation Center. The contest is a battle between the winningest and fourth-winningest programs in NCAA Division I women's basketball history.
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Gameday Time & Broadcast Info
- Opponent: James Madison
- Date: Friday, Nov. 11
- Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: JMU Convocation Center
- Watch Online: MADIZONE HD Sports Net
- Radio: Lady Vol Network
- Online: Live Audio, Live Stats
Related Links
Live Blog Follow @LadyVol_Hoops SEC Clubhouse 2016-17 Women's Basketball Media Guide
Tennessee
Roster Schedule 2015-16 Stats Game Notes
James Madison
Roster Schedule 2015-16 Stats Game Notes
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Monday night's game will not be televised, but fans can catch the action online through James Madison's production on MADIZONE HD SportsNet. Curt Dudley (play-by-play) and Bri Leach (analyst) will call the action.
Fans can also tune into their local Lady Vol Network station to catch Mickey Dearstone describing the action as Tennessee opens the year against the Dukes.
Tennessee vs. James Madison
- No. 13/14 Tennessee opens the 2016-17 regular season on Friday, as it travels to Harrisonburg, Va., to face James Madison at 7 p.m. ET.
- The match-up pits a pair of 2016 NCAA Tournament teams against one another, as the Lady Vols advanced to the Elite Eight a year ago, and the Dukes fell in the first round.
- The game also matches two of women's basketball's winningest programs. Tennessee enters with a 1,299-300 all-time record in 71 seasons, while JMU ranks fourth at 1,045-523 in 94 years.
- For UT, the contest begins an arduous stretch with three games in the span of five days, featuring contests at JMU on Friday, at home vs. Navy on Sunday and at East Tennessee State on Tuesday.
Lady Vols In Openers
- Since 1974, Tennessee is 38-4 all-time in season-opening games, including 6-1 on the road.
- UT has won its last three season-openers and 15 of its last 16.
- The Lady Vols are 3-1 in openers during the Holly Warlick era, including 1-1 on the road.
- This marks the third time since Warlick took the reins and the fourth time in the past seven years the Big Orange women have begun a campaign away from the friendly confines of Thompson-Boling Arena.
A Look At The Lady Vols
- The Lady Vols return eight players from last season's NCAA Elite Eight squad and have three newcomers for a roster of 11. Nine of those players will see action this season, while two redshirt due to injury.
- Last year's unit finished 22-14 overall and 8-8 in SEC play (t7th) but rallied to earn the program's third NCAA Elite Eight berth in the past four seasons.
- Tennessee has been picked to finish third in the SEC by both the media and the league's coaches, following defending champ South Carolina and 2015-16 runner-up Mississippi State.
- Diamond DeShields (first team) and Mercedes Russell (second team) were named to the 2016-17 Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team.
- DeShields also made the five-player Media Preseason All-SEC Team.
- After ending last season unranked in the AP Poll and 19th in the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Lady Vols open ranked 13th and 14th, respectively.
- In other polls, the U.S. Basketball Writer's Association has UT 12th; AP, Sporting News and Athlon Sports have UT ranked 13th; the Lady Vols are 14th in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the espnW Poll (t14); and Lindy's has the Lady Vols at No. 16.
UT Coming Off Exhibition Win Over Carson-Newman
- Redshirt junior Diamond DeShields recorded a double-double to lead No. 13/14 Tennessee to a 95-56 exhibition win over Carson-Newman Monday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
- DeShields finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds in the game, helping Tennessee improve to 13-0 all-time in exhibition games against the Lady Eagles.
- The Lady Volunteers boasted a stout defensive performance in front of a home crowd of 8,481, holding Carson-Newman to 26 percent (19-of-74) shooting, forcing 16 turnovers and blocking 10 shots.
- Redshirt junior Mercedes Russell finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in the outing. Junior Jaime Nared shot 70 percent (7-of-10) from the field to total 17 points and eight rebounds. Alexa Middleton and Meme Jackson chipped in 10 points apiece to put five Lady Vols in double figures.
- The Lady Vols' offense came alive in the third stanza, scoring 30 points on 11-of-18 (61 percent) shooting. Tennessee's defense was stout, holding the Lady Eagles to just nine points in the period on just 3-of-21 (14 percent) shooting from the floor.
- The trio of DeShields, Russell and Nared fueled Tennessee on both sides of the ball, combining for 61 points, 25 rebounds, 10 assists, four blocks and two steals.
- With 61 points, the group of Lady Vols accounted for 64 percent of Tennessee's 95 points.
- The trio shot 25-of-43 (58 percent) from the field.
A Look At The Dukes
- James Madison is coming off a season in which it finished 27-6, won the Colonial Athletic Association title for the third straight season and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
- The Dukes fell in the first round of the tourney, 97-67, to DePaul.
- JMU is led by first-year head coach Sean O'Regan, who took over in April 2016 after Kenny Brooks left to take the head coaching job at Virginia Tech. O'Regan was previously the associate head coach for the Dukes.
- James Madison has been picked to finish first in the CAA once again.
- Redshirt senior guard Precious Hall, who missed last season due to injury, was selected as the CAA Preseason Player of the Year.
- Hall averaged 14.5 points for her career, including a 20.8 average in 2014-15 when she was the CAA Player of the Year.
- Senior forward Da'Lishia Griffin was picked for the Preseason All-CAA Second Team while sophomore center Kayla Cooper-Williams received honorable mention.
- JMU finished the 2015-16 season ranked second nationally in both rebounds per game (46.21) and 3-point field-goal defense (.245), ninth in total rebounds (1,525) and 10th in total blocked shots (185) after the Dukes' 11th consecutive postseason appearance.
JMU Blasts Glenville State In Exhibition Game
- James Madison women's basketball geared up for the 2016-17 season with a 114-79 exhibition win over Glenville State on Nov. 6 at the JMU Convocation Center.
- Facing the Pioneers fast-paced, long-range shooting style, the Dukes found themselves in a tight game at 41-41 with 3:17 remaining in the first half before closing the period on a 13-1 run to grab control.
- James Madison built the lead to 19 in the early minutes of the third quarter and maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way before outscoring GSU 29-15 in the final stanza.
- JMU's policy is not to provide info. from exhibition games, so the team's website recap did not mention players or individual stats. It also did not include a box score.
The Series vs. James Madison
- According to the UT record book, this marks the third meeting between these schools.
- Tennessee holds a 2-0 lead in the series after the #1/3 Lady Vols won by 20 over the #14/15 Dukes, 72-52, in the NCAA Sweet 16 in Norfolk, Va., on March 24, 1988.
- Holly Warlick was an assistant on that Big Orange squad that finished third in the Final Four that season in Tacoma, Wash, with a 31-3 overall record.
- Tennessee is 3-0 all-time vs. schools from the Colonial Athletic Association, with the other victory coming vs. College of Charleston.
- The Lady Vols are scheduled to host another CAA team on Dec. 29, as UNC Wilmington visits Knoxville.
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